"Each day I
go to my studio full of joy; in the evening when obliged to stop because
of darkness I can scarcely wait for the morning to come...My work is not
only a pleasure, it has become a necessity. No matter how many other
things I have in my life, ifI cannot give myself to my dear painting I
am miserable." --William Bouguereau"One has to seek Beauty and
Truth, Sir! As I always say to my pupils, you have to work to the
finish. There's only one kind of painting. It is the painting that
presents the eye with perfection, the kind of beautiful and impeccable
enamel you find in Veronese and Titian." --William Bouguereau, 1895

As a young man,
Bouguereau put himself through the Ecole des Beaux-Arts by keeping books
for a wine merchant and coloring lithographic labels for a local grocer.
In his spare time, late in the evening, he created drawings from memory.
This diligence and discipline resulted in an extrordinarily productive
artistic life. Bouguereau produced more than seven hundred finished
works and achieved a remarkable level of public acclaim and financial
success. He never forgot his difficult early days, however; working
secretly, he assisted young artists who were struggling as he had to
pursue an artistic career in the face of financial difficulties. Like many painters of the second half of
the 19th century, Bouguereau made a careful study of form and technique
and steeped himself in classical sculpture and painting. True to his
serious and industrious nature, he worked deliberately and
industriously: before beginning a painting he would master the history
of his subject and complete numerous sketches. The tenderness with which he portrayed
children and domestic scenes, his technical skill and passion for the
classics, and his love of rich color are hallmarks of Bouguereau's
exquisite paintings. Bouguereau is a particular favorite of
mine and is the generates more fan mail for this gallery than any of the
other artists. Despite his artistic genius and wide popularity,very
little has been written about Bouguereau, his paintings, and his
methods. I have heard rumors of a few out of print books (in French and
Italian) on Bouguereau but as yet I have been unable to locate any of
them. One source I have heard about (but have not yet seen myself) is a
museum catalog from a Paris/Montreal/Hartford exhibition in 1984 which
has long been out of print (ISBN 2-89192-047-3).There is also supposed
to be a nice postcard book of 30 Bouguereau paintings available from the
MOMA store (212-879-5500 for $8.95 + 4.50 shipping and handling).
Pomegranate Artbooksalso has recently published a very nice address book
and a pocket calendar with some fine reproductions of Bouguereau's
paintings (Box 6099, Rohnert Park, California 94927). There is a poster
available of Temptation available from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
over the net.A good book on Bouguereau has finally been published in
English (in May 1996) by Fronia E. Wissman simply entitled Bouguereau
(ISBN 0-87654-582-7, $30.00 published by Pomegranate Artbooks). It is a
must for any serious Bouguereau fan.

There can be little doubt that
Bouguereau was one of the most talented painters of his time, but it is
a shame that he has fallen into obscurity with museum curators and those
supposedly sophisticated about art who think that ugliness and lack of
content imply depth and talent.